Caribbean poet and writer Derek Walcott once said:
“The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: It is the property of the language itself.”
Indo-European-Languages-chart
An interesting aspect of language is how it grows and evolves in order to reflect a culture’s current realities and needs. The influence of French on the English language as a result of the Norman Conquest of the eleventh century particularly illustrates how the English language changed to reflect the realities of the time – that is to say, the cultural dominance of the invaders and the introduction of their language into English culture.
French and English both evolved from a Proto-Indo-European language but developed under different branches of the vast Indo-European language family. French belongs to the Romance languages that developed from Latin whereas English descended from Proto Germanic. Yet these two relatives, namely cousins, have exerted great influences over one another, and none is truer than the effects of Norman French over English.
Where the Hell is Normandy?
During the 10th century BC, Norsemen populated part of France’s western coast which would later be known as Normandy. Over the years, these Norsemen, or Normans, adopted the French language as well as France’s feudal system (King 37). William, seventh Duke of Normandy and descendant of Rollo, believed for reasons of his own that the throne of England belonged to him (Algeo and Pyles 124-125). On the basis of this claim, he set out to conquer England and defeated the English under the leadership of King Harold in 1066 at the battle of Hastings. This date is known as the end of the Old English period and as the beginning of the Middle English era. In reality, changes did not take place over the span of a day or even a year. But it is true that the Norman Conquest of 1066 marked the beginning of major changes in the English language — changes that we will explore in the next post. I think you’ve had quite enough to hate me right there. Hey, I did not force you to read this.
Sources Cited: Algeo, John, and Thomas Pyles. The Origins and Development of the English Language. 5th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2004. Print. / King, Diana Hanbury. English Isn’t Crazy! The Elements of Our Language and How to Teach Them. Timonium: York Press, 2000. Print.
